Cheerin’ and runnin’ in the rain. Today’s Broad Street Run was a poncho and garbage bag event

Gene Kelly would have been out there in a suit, fedora, and tap shoes doing a Philly version of “Singin’ in the Rain.”

But Sunday morning, the familiar costume along Broad Street for one of the country’s most popular 10-mile runs was the poncho. Many of them were fashioned from trash bags.

The 40th annual Blue Cross Broad Street Run, with an estimated 40,000 competitors and thousands more fans, drew Temple University students out to the soggy sidewalks along North Broad Street and rowhouse dwellers near the Navy Yard, where the race concluded.

Drizzling conditions likely kept some people away, but the run is too tightly woven into the region for rain to dampen the enthusiasm.

It’s an excuse for curbside grilling and maybe a few beers. But also to cheer on friends and family running to fight cancer, homelessness, or merely to test their grit against the clock.

Patti Walsh, 65, in a dark rain jacket, and friend Maggie Aftanis, 64, sporting a pink poncho, were all smiles in anticipation of cheering on their daughters Julianne Walsh and Natalie Aftanis, whose goal after training for months was to leg out seven-minute miles side by side.

"This kind of rain doesn’t bother them or us, we’re fine,“ Aftanis said, shaking a cowbell.

Troy Pelfrey, 56, of Cherry Hill, is a runner who just tackled a marathon in New Jersey last week. So, Sunday he played the role of cheerleader, taking cover under a SEPTA bus shelter to encourage a few hundred members of the Run856 club, based in South Jersey.

“This weather is perfect," Pelfrey said. “That’s the thing about runners. We run in snow, rain and sleet. When we’re not running, we’re out cheering.”

If the cheering were not enough to keep runners’ feet moving, the route also had its share of other enthusiasts: church singers, bongo players, and amped-up rock bands.

Under a tent in front of the Union League at Broad and Sansom Streets, the band Right Turn at 40 could be heard echoing off the buildings for several blocks.

Lead singer Dave DiProspero said this was the band’s 11th year playing at the run.

“We try to play heart-pumping music. This is mile marker six. This is where it gets really serious.”

You’d think the last thing anyone wanted on a drippy morning was more water. But those working the water station at Broad and Spruce had plenty of takers, said Dennita Moore, 45, with help from young members of the High Level track club in Lansdowne.

“Even though it’s pouring rain, they still take the water,” Moore said.

Janai Richardson, 10, didn’t mind being drenched as she handed cups to soaked, thirsty runners.

“It is kind of fun,“ she said.

Also fun was something that provides runners a laugh or two along any race route: the spectator signs.

The Wolf family from Warminster brought one ideal for the conditions: “Go dad go! Just keep swimming!"

For others, the Broad Street Run was just the start of a day of celebrating – or so they hoped. Sunday was also Cinco de Mayo, the celebration of the Mexican Army’s victory over the French Empire at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. And the Sixers would be playing the Raptors in Game 4 of their semifinals match Sunday afternoon, not far from the finish line in South Philadelphia.

Stephanie Fanelli, 27, was wearing a sombrero and also invoking the Sixers as runners passed by at Broad and Christian Streets:

“Here they come, Philadelphia. On the run. Stand up and cheer. 10, 9, 8, 76ers!”